Christmas Wrapping
by Shellin8
Summary: For those who know the song "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses, it was my inspiration. It's my husband's favorite Christmas song, and we heard it today and I thought to myself, "That could be Mac and Will, if he hadn't proposed on Election Night!" It's a sweet story/song, and it totally made me think of our favorite couple! Enjoy!


"A&P" has provided me

With the world's smallest turkey

Already in the oven, nice and hot

Oh damn! Guess what I forgot?

So on, with the boots, back out in the snow

To the only all-night grocery

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

In the line is that guy I've been chasing all year

"I'm spending this one alone," he said

"Need a break, this year's been crazy"

I said, "Me too, but why are you?

You mean you forgot cranberries too?"

Then suddenly we laughed and laughed

Caught on to what was happening

That Christmas magic's brought this tale

To a very happy ending

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas

Couldn't miss this one this year

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas

Couldn't miss this one this year.

"Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses

Mac turned off the computer in her office and gathered her things. It was December 23rd, and she was off for the next 3 days. That didn't mean she wouldn't do some work at home, but at least she didn't have to trudge to the office through the wet, snowy streets and under gray winter skies.

She stuffed post-its and assorted documents into her bag, grabbed her coat, and starter turning out lights. She was glad the bullpen had emptied out so there were fewer people to call greetings to her as she left. She had already had enough invites to do things for the holiday- Don had invited her to join he and Sloan for dinner on Christmas Eve, Jim, Neal, Martin, Tess and Tamara had invited her to Christmas Day lunch at Tess and Tamara's apartment, and Charlie had invited her to come and stay at his house in Connecticut- but she had declined all offers. While things weren't where she wished they wouldbe, they were better this year, and she relished the thought of spending a quiet Christmas alone, with no hustle and bustle, no gifts to wrap or places to be or people to do things with. As lonely as she'd been the past few years, she was in a better place mentally and professionally, and she was happy to sit this one out.

As she turned out her office light and walked out into the bullpen, she saw that Will's office lights were already off. They hadn't regained the personal part of the relationship that she'd hoped for, but they were good friends again, and their partnership at work had become solid. Friends, professional partners… they were close confidants, and that was much better than where they'd been last year. Still… Mackenzie had hoped he'd say good-bye before he left. Good-bye, see you in a few days, Merry Christmas, are you doing anything special for the holiday… Mackenzie shook her head. It was too much to ask this of Will. They had regained a lot of what they'd lost… she had to be happy with that. And then she remembered how she had wanted a quiet Christmas this year. If he'd have asked, then she would have had to try and explain… it was better that he'd left without bothering, she thought, though it did hurt a hadn't asked him what he'd be doing for the holiday, but she imagined he'd made some plans for himself. She was just sorry she didn't know what they were. She hoped, at least, that he wouldn't be spending them alone. Mac shook her head, forced herself to smile and walked to the elevator.

She got outside to the sidewalk, hailed a cab, and headed home to her apartment in Midtown. She'd done a little decorating, if for no other reason than to make her apartment look a little less sad, so when she walked in , there was a small Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, and some lights up around the doorway to the kitchen. She smiled at the small touches she'd made and thought to herself, "Well, at least it feels like Christmas, and I'm not miserable." She dropped her bag and coat in her armchair and went to her bedroom to change.

Once in leggings and a long-sleeved t-shirt, she proceeded to heat up some leftovers and pour herself a well-deserved glass of wine. She put on the TV and watched A Miracle on 34th Street and smiled at the sweetness of Natalie Wood as a little girl, trying to prove that Santa was real. Then she switched over and watched the end of It's a Wonderful Life and said out loud, "It's not perfect, but it's better than it was." She got up, washed her dishes, and went to bed.

Christmas Eve was spent lounging about, reading and doing a bit of online shopping for things for herself that would arrive in the next few days. "Merry Christmas to me" she said as she clicked "buy this item" numerous times on websites she loved. Topshop got a lot of business from Mackenzie, and she was glad she was doing something for herself. She had neglected her wardrobe, and she found simple joy in getting things for herself that she'd wanted.

After that were numerous phone calls- her parents called from London, Sloan called from her apartment a few blocks over to again invite her to join she and Don- but Mackenzie declined. She was glad she had people who cared about her and wanted to see her, but she really was enjoying spending time on her own. "The only person I'd want to see today doesn't want to see me," she mused a bit sadly.

The next morning, Christmas Day, Mackenzie made herself breakfast- eggs, toast, fruit, pancakes, and mimosas- and she lounged around and enjoyed the quiet. Her parents called again, and she assured them that she was fine. She took a long, languid shower, and then a nap, and then watched another movie, but by then it was late afternoon and time to start dinner.

Mackenzie, never a cook, decided she was going to make herself a traditional Christmas dinner. She'd bought a small turkey breast, some potatoes she could boil and then mash, vegetables, and lots of wine. She was determined to cook a delicious meal for herself, and she said with conviction, "I can be alone AND happy" as she slid her turkey into the oven with a flourish.

While it cooked she drank some wine and watched TV and smiled as the lights around her kitchen doorway twinkled. She was overcome with the idea of texting Will and wishing him a Merry Christmas, and she grabbed her cell phone, but she chickened out. If he was somewhere having the time of his life, he wouldn't want to be bothered by her message, and if he was home and drunk on scotch, she could be opening a can of worms best left alone. She put her phone down and went to the kitchen to boil water for the potatoes.

The turkey looked good and smelled wonderful. She mashed up the boiled potatoes, added milk and butter, and tasted them several times. They were as good as any her mother had made, and she felt terrific. Everything seemed like it was just about perfect, and then she went to the cupboard… Shit! She'd forgotten cranberry sauce! It wouldn't be a turkey dinner without cranberries!

"Well, at least I don't have a house full of people to be embarrassed in front of," Mac said aloud to herself. "There's that grocery up the block- I'll run over there, grab a can, and then come back to eat. I'll be gone a half-hour and then I can enjoy this stunning meal I've made!" She threw on some boots, grabbed her coat and purse, and headed downstairs to the street.

She'd walked the 3 blocks relatively alone. She passed almost no one, what with most of the world celebrating Christmas with their loved ones, and she was glad she was able to get to the store without seeing anyone she knew and without having to say anything to anyone. All she wanted was to grab a can of cranberries and get back to her apartment to enjoy the meal she'd made herself. She walked into the store and smiled at the lone clerk at the only open register. It had to suck to work on Christmas when all you wanted was to be somewhere else.

Mackenzie hurried to the middle of the store where she knew the canned goods were. She was about 5 feet from the cranberries- she could SEE the cans on the shelf of Aisle 6- when she saw a tall, blonde man in a brown leather jacket and jeans turn and smile at her. "I guess you forgot cranberries, too?" he said. It was Will, and her heart skipped a beat.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "You don't even live near here!"

He smiled and walked across the aisle. "Yeah, I know. I went to the store by my apartment and they were all out. Then I remembered this place and how I always had good luck finding things here. I decided to be adventurous. It's Christmas, and I don't have anywhere to be. I figured it didn't matter if I took a little time finding cranberries." he finished.

Mackenzie smiled. "Well, I decided I was going to treat myself to a nice dinner, which I cooked and it turned out brilliantly! Then I realized I'd forgotten cranberries and I headed down here." She smiled. "How is it that we both ended up here, at the same time, looking for the same thing?"

Will smiled. "Serendipity, I guess. Good fortune, completely by accident."

Mac grinned. Suddenly, she didn't feel so awkward. "Do you want to come back to my apartment and eat dinner with me? There's enough for us both, and I feel like we were meant to run into each other for a reason."

Will cleared his throat. "You want me to come have Christmas dinner with you? Are you sure? I mean, if we were going to do that, we could have already made plans to do just that!"

Mac shrugged. "Maybe things are turning out as they were meant to. Let's not overthink it. Do you want to come have dinner with me? I really would like to spend the evening with you"

Will raised his eyebrows and said, "Are you sure?" Mackenzie nodded, and he said, "Well, then, who am I to argue with serendipity? Let's go!" and he offered Mackenzie his arm.

They walked to the front of the store, paid the lonely cashier for their can of cranberries, and headed outside. Will told the driver to head home and they walked the three blocks back to Mackenzie's arm-in-arm and laughing. Once in her apartment, Will was greeted by the twinkling lights in her kitchen doorway and the delicious smells of roasted turkey and mashed potatoes and offered to set Mackenzie's table while she warmed things up.

As they sat down to share their meal, Will offered a toast. "To us. Who knows what the rest of the night will bring"

They clinked their glasses together and smiled across the table at each other.


End file.
